No More Games
by MakTD
Summary: Charles has had enough with the Girls and trying to escape. Now its time to play some games...his way (set back at the premier of season 6) CeCe is not Charles UPDATED! Please review :)
1. Let's Play

'Don't fence me in' the ominous music blared on a loop through loud speakers as the girls sat huddled together in the rain. They're plan to escape foiled by an electric fence. Even if they had escaped they wouldn't have survived long anyway. The trees and grass seemed to go on for days and they had no food or water to bring with them.

Food.

Water.

Spencer glanced over at Hanna who held her face out towards the rain and licked her lips slowly. Her eyes were closed tight as if she was in pain. Probably just having hunger pangs as everyone else. She wondered what Hanna imagined herself eating, whatever it was Spencer knew it had to taste good. She wanted some. Her imagination gave out hours ago, or was it days?

"How long ha-" Spencer's voice didn't sound like her own. Her mouth felt heavy like someone was holding onto her bottom lip as she spoke. Despite the rain her lips were chapped and her spit tasted like metal.

"3 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 1,2,3, 4 seconds." Mona answered Spencers unfinished question. She fiddled with the wet blonde locks that invaded her scalp as she tried to keep warm next to Emily.

"What? 3 days?" Emily asked in shock. How could this be? With the same music blaring and the same old scenery Emily could have sworn not a second had passed.

"Yes, and 6 hours, 42 min-" Mona was cut off by Hanna. "Okay Mona, we get it."

"Guys?" Spencer's voice croaked. They All turned in her direction. They all knew that tone of voice, it meant something was wrong. "Yeah Spence?" Emily probed.

"How long has Aria been asleep?" She asked. Emily, Hanna, and Mona slowly turned in Aria's direction. Her head lay in Mona's lap and she appeared fast asleep.

"I don't know, umm, she... I don't know." Mona's mind went fraught with the fact that she didn't know the time. Timing was her only savior, Math was her friend, her blanket, her food and water.

Hanna leaned over and tapped Arias face, she didn't move. She tapped it one more time this time harder and still she didn't stir.

"Aria!" Emily yelled getting frantic. "Aria wake up!" Spencer joined.

She looked pale, her black and burgundy dress the only color on her body. The rain was picking up and raining harder on their heads. It was getting hard to see.

Spencer stood up and ran, or at least she thought she was running it was more of a sickly gallop, towards the door and began to bang on it.

"She's gonna die! If you don't let us in she'll die." Her cries went unanswered.

Hanna now shook Aria by her shoulders. "Get up! You can't let this 'A' bitch win!"

"It's Charles." Spencer half whispered as she leaned on the door.

"I don't care Spencer, still -A to me." Hanna replied.

Mona felt Aria's pulse. "Her pulse is very slow but it's there."

Suddenly the music stopped and the girls touched their ears. The music had been blaring for so long that the silence seemed wrong. Their ears rang with the quiet.

"Follow the lighted pathway." The familiar computerized voice instructed. The door then opened and the floor lit up.

"Come on let's lift Aria." Emily Said as she bent down to grab a limb. They all took a limb and began walking slowly towards the door.

"Gosh! Who knew someone this small could be so heavy!" Hanna said as she shifted her weight trying not to drop Aria.

"We're almost there." Spencer grunted.

"Proceed to your rooms." The voice instructed again.

The girls walked Aria in front of her room and gently sat her down.

"How's she gonna get in?" Emily asked concerned.

"A will handle that." Mona answered out of experience. "She'll be fine."

The girls then stood in front of their respective doorways and gave a final look of farewell to one another as they opened and closed.

XXXXXXXXXX

Mona entered her room to find a plate of food, and a change of clothes waiting on her bed.

"For me?" She asked turning and looking at the camera. She heard two beeps which meant yes.

"Thank you." Mona smiled at the camera and headed towards the bed. She devoured her food in seconds and wished that she had savored it. She didn't even get to taste it.

As she wiped her hands she glanced at the clothes. It was the same old yellow top and jeans. She hated yellow now. When she was free she vowed to burn every yellow piece of clothing that hung in her closet. She vowed silently though, wouldn't want to upset A.

Slowly Mona unzipped her dress and stepped out of it. Knowing That -A was watching her and that -A was 'Charles' this upset her. The creep. Still she found a hanger and neatly hung the dress in her closet.

'Don't fence me in' Mona hummed as she began dressing. She hoped that the other girls got food and clothes also she needed them healthy if they were gonna get out of there alive.

XXXXXXX

Spencer finished off the last of her water and was about to go to bed when she heard a siren. She ran to her door and covered her ears. When the door opened she saw Hanna and Emily standing by their doors, but no Mona nor Aria.

"Let's play a game." The voice sounded from up ahead.

The girls looked at each other terrified of what was to happen.

"Bye Bye now."

Suddenly gas seeped from the walls causing the girls to choke. Hanna tried turning the doorknob to her room but it was locked. She looked up to see Emily on her hands and knees wheezing trying to get some air into her system. The sound made Hanna's eyes tear up.

Spencer's eyes had turned bloodshot red as she tried to hold her breath and not inhale the dangerous gas, but she soon succumbed to it and passed out.

Hanna leaned against the door waiting for herself to do the same as her vision blurred she saw Mona's door open.

Mona stepped out wearing a gas mask. She noticed the other girls passed out before she noticed that Hanna was staring right at her. She began to walk towards her to see if she was okay.

"Want to play a game?" The voice asked.

Mona stopped in her tracks, she knew this question was rhetorical and nodded her head.

"Great, because it's game time."

She heard Hanna's body fall to the floor as she passed out from the gas

"Let's play."


	2. Goose

Mona stood in the middle of a red circle surrounded by each one of the unconscious girls. Her finger, which was covered in dirt, constantly twitched at the side of her legs as she waited nervously for the girls to wake up. Aria was there and looked better than before. She had color to her skin and her breathing didn't seem labored. A must have given her an IV.

She had gotten instructions from the computerized voice to stand inside the circle until further notice.

It didn't take much time for Spencer to open her eyes and see a terrified Mona standing before her. "Mona?" Spencer said as she came to.

Mona stood in place and didn't address Spencer. She couldn't; strict orders.

"Mona what happened? What's going on?" Spencer asked tugging at her arms which were bound behind her back to the wooden chair in which she sat. Mona stared off into the distance clearly trying to emotionally disconnect herself from the situation. Her eyes betrayed her, they teared up weeping for the unknown.

Spencer glanced to her right and left seeing all of the girls in the same predicament. All perfectly placed in a circle sleep unwillingly consuming their bodies like a spell.

"Aria!" Spencer yelled excited to see her friend unharmed. She watched as her eyeballs fluttered underneath her eyelids. "Aria! Wake up!" Spencer yelled again.

Mona glanced in Aria's direction slightly. Concerned about what was happening.

"Spence?' She heard Aria say. "Where are we?"

"Looks like the same room where Charles had his Prom." Spencer answered as she peered around noticing some familiar objects.

"Worst. Prom. Ever." Hanna said as she woke up and joined in on the conversation. Her hair was sticking to her face from the heat.

Mona slightly smiled. Always Hanna.

"Em." Aria said looking at Emily who's head was slouched to the right. "Emmmm" she repeated.

Emily jumped up quickly looking around at her surroundings. Her head felt cloudy as she noticed all of her friends and Mona.

Suddenly there were three beeps from the corner of the room.

Anxiety built up inside of Mona and she took a slight step forward.

"Time to choose your goose." The voice blared causing a ripple of goosebumps down Mona's spine.

"Goose?" Hanna asked in concern "Mona what the hell is going on?"

Mona stole a glance at Hanna then back at the camera.

"Time to choose your goose." The bland voice repeated.

The liars watched as Mona walked to the outside of the circle and stood behind Spencer.

She swallowed hard and placed a shaking hand above Spencer's head. "Duck."

There was one beep from the camera to signal for Mona to continue.

She slowly walked over to Hanna and placed a hand over her head. "Duck."

"Is she playing duck duck goose?" Emily asked afraid. She never liked this game as a child and she would definitely never like it now.

The camera sounded once for Mona to Continue.

Emily closed her eyes when Mona came to stand behind her. Mona held her breath and looked at the camera as she held her hand above Emily's head. "Duck."

Everyone glanced at the camera waiting for its answer. Hanna's leg bounced up and down as she watched Emily bite her lip in anticipation. Spencer sat wide eyed at a lost for words. Her button up top that A had given her was soaked with sweat.

One beep.

Mona turned to Aria

"Goose."

"What? What does that mean? Mona! What's gonna happen!" Aria yelled from where she sat. The chair tilted a bit from her bouncing up and down.

"A game." Mona said as if she were out of breath.

"What kind of game?" Spencer found her voice.

"Aria gets to choose which one of you will play for her life."

Mona answered as she returned to the middle of the circle.

"Choose?"

"Her life?" Emily and Hanna asked clearly upset at the situation.

"No, no no I could never do that!" Aria said tears streaming down her face.

"Choose your player." The voice instructed from the speaker as if it was saying pick your dessert.

"Aria hurry." Mona pleaded.

"No! I won't." Aria protested as she tried to pull on her restraints.

"Choose your player." The voice repeated.

"She's gonna get us all killed!" Mona turned to the girls.

"For God's sake pick Aria!" Hanna yelled.

"How? No!" Aria sobbed.

"Aria if you don't pick someone right now!" Emily pleaded.

"Choose your play-"

"Now!" Mona interrupted the voice.

"Spencer!" Aria blurted out. "I choose Spencer."

Spencer let out a sigh. To say she wasn't expecting it would be a lie. Although she wouldn't want anyone else to be picked, she knew the pressure would be too great.

A sound could be heard from the ceiling as if something was being lowered down. The liars gasped as they saw exactly what it was. A gun attached to some wood and wire had settled down right behind Aria.

"Solve the puzzle. Save a friend. You have five minutes." The voice sounded as if it was smiling.

The girls stared at one another's faces, probably hoping this was all a bad dream. That was until the voice announced "4 minutes and 45 seconds."

Spencer spotted the board standing in the corner. "Mona! Untie me hurry!" Mona rushed over and untied her as fast as she could.

"4 minutes and 30 seconds."

Spencer stared at the board that was filled with magnetic letters. Her brain was not comprehending what the letters could mean.

"4 minutes and 10 seconds."

"Spencer! You know this" Hanna yelled from her seat. Aria had began crying again and Emily tried to give her some sort of comfort. "Don't worry Aria. Spence is like crazy smart."

Mona stared at the board trying to see if she could decipher it, but nothing came to mind.

Spencer began moving letters across the board "umm guess?" She spelled out the word guess on the board. Mona cocked her head to the side, hmmm not quite. Then the other letters would make no sense.

"3 minutes and 45 seconds."

Gone?

Sure?

Yes?

Mean?

Spencer's brain wracked with the number of possibilities the letters could form.

"3 minutes and 30 seconds."

There were so many A's.

"So many." Spencer whispered.

So many.

So many so many so many so many

Mona looked closer at the board.

So many.

"3 minutes and 15 seconds."

'So let's see there is the word key. Guess? key?' Spencer thought.

"Spencer hurry up!" Hanna yelled.

"Its too late." Aria sobbed. She began to think about her family. Mom, dad, Mike. Oh God and Ezra. Ezra would never forgive himself if something happened to her.

"Its not too late. Aria don't say that." Emily was beginning to cry as well.

Mona continued to stare at the board. Spencer had her head down whispering things to herself and counting on her fingers. She blinked and twitched her head a lot overwhelming her brain with the possibilities. Mona watched her do this as she began on her own journey figuring out the puzzle.

So many.

Counting on fingers.

It's a list!

It was like a light bulb went off inside her head. It's a list. Now who would be on this list?

"2 minutes and 50 seconds"

Nothing but the popular kids right? The A listers? A listers!

Let's see that leaves a number of people, but this is the end so wouldn't -A go back to the beginning? Mona almost jumped with glee when something went off in her brain and she figured out the puzzle.

Now for Spencer.

She moved different letters here and there.

"2 minutes and 30 seconds."

"Oh my gosh!" Hanna yelled getting overwhelmed. Aria sat with her head back and eyes closed she had already given up.

"I can't do this!"

Spencer hit the board making all but one letter fall off: A

She scrambled to pick all of them up as tears ran down her cheeks.

"2 minutes and 10 seconds."

Mona stepped forward and she and Spencer made eye contact.

Absentmindedly Spencer picked up an M and placed it on the board all while keeping eye contact with Mona. Next she picked up an O and placed it next to the M.

"55 seconds."

Mona nodded her head and Spencer looked at all of the letters on the floor.

"What's happening? Some sort of geek code we don't know about?" Hanna asked frantic.

Spencer slowly stood up and spelled out 'MONA'

Mona did a hair flip and Spencer caught it although it was very slight.

'ALI'

Mona then looked at the camera.

'CHARLES'

"30 seconds."

Spencer stepped back and read the names twice. Suddenly she bent down and started placing the letters on the board as fast as she could.

5

4

3

2

1

Spencer stepped back and looked at her work.

'RESURGENCE IS KEY: ALI, MONA, CHARLES'

Alison and Mona both 'died' and came back does that mean Charles did too?

Everyone waited in silence.

One beep.

There was a physical change in the room. All of the girls let go of the breath they were holding as the gun retreated into its original place.

"Nice job. Ready for round two?"


	3. Wrong One

The dimly lit room was silent save for the panicked breathing coming from five very relieved girls.

"Guys, I don't want to play round two." Emily said finally getting her wits to speak. Mona stole a glance at the camera knowing that Charles would be listening. "Quiet Emily." Mona half whispered.

Spencer had reclaimed her seat, but rope no longer bound her to it. She rotated her shoulder back and forth trying to remove all the kinks from being bound behind her back for a long time. Hanna watched and grew jealous of how she could move her arm. She tried to twitch her fingers, but it hurt too much. Her blood circulation was being cut off at the wrist which made her fingers feel numb.

"Ugghhh." Aria let out a groan, fed up with being played with and held captive. "I just want this to be over!" She yelled at the ceiling.

"Aria! Ssshh" Mona turned to her direction. If they were quiet, -A would see that they were being good girls and maybe he would stop.

"Choose your goose." The voice blared above their heads.

What did I tell you about getting your hopes up? Mona reprimanded herself as she moved outside of the circle.

She began with Aria this time.

"Duck."

One beep.

Hanna.

"Duck."

One beep.

Spencer.

"Duck"

One beep.

That only leaves...

"Let's get this over with." Emily said having all faith in her friends.

"Goose." Mona finished.

"Choose yo-"

"I choose Hanna." Emily said interrupting the voice. She was over this whole game.

Hanna's eyes grew big as she looked at Emily in surprise. Emily shrugged her shoulders feeling sorry for Hanna, but also feeling sorry for herself. Nothing came from out of the ceiling like it did with Aria, so they didn't even know the threat that they were playing for.

"Ready to begin?" The voice sounded pleased, like it was smiling.

Mona went over to untie Hanna as the voice instructed for Hanna to go over to a table in the corner that was covered in a white table cloth.

"You have 6 minutes." The voice announced.

Hanna uncovered it, when she saw what it was she looked back at the camera unimpressed. "Ha-ha very funny."

There was a case of cupcakes with pigs drawn in pink frosting.

"5 minutes and 50 seconds." The voice declared.

Hanna picked up one of the cupcakes, did they have to be so big? She began stuffing it inside her mouth, not taking the time out to chew just swallow. Two more bites and you'd be done. She coached herself. Yeah but a lot more to go.

"5 minutes and 27 seconds."

Hanna picked up the second cupcake and began devouring it.

"She going to choke." Spencer whispered to no one in particular.

"5 minutes and 10 seconds"

The girls suddenly saw Hanna scream in pain. "Aaah! You bitch! You cheated!" Hanna yelled, she couldn't contain herself.

"What happened?" Aria asked seeing blood seep out of Hanna's mouth as she yelled.

"He put glass inside this cupcake!" Hanna yelled.

"4 minutes and 40 seconds."

Emily sighed. Her game just had to be rigged.

Hanna picked up another cupcake and sat the other one down.

"Finish it." The voice blared down.

"What? You're kidding right?"

"4 minutes and 35 seconds."

Hanna picked up the cupcake and did her best of eating around the glass, but she wasn't so lucky. Tears ran down her face as she tried not to make a scene in front of her friends. But they saw more and more of the crimson blood coming out of her mouth with every bite. A complete contrast to her pale skin.

"Shit!" She yelled and stomped her foot as she took the last bite of the cupcake and felt it scrape the top of mouth.

"4 minutes and 20 seconds."

Hanna now had frosting and blood smeared over her mouth and face. She picked up yet another cupcake took one bite and gagged. Her stomach was growing intolerant of this game. She took a second and third bite and bent over to gag.

"Give up?" The voice asked too pleased by seeing her struggle.

Hanna stood back up and finished off the cupcake. She now had half of the box left. She didn't think she could do this.

"Come on Hanna!" Emily yelled from where she sat. Hanna took one look at Emily and knew she had to finish the game, she couldn't live without her, she couldn't live without any of her friends. Including Mona. Now what she could live without were those cupcakes.

She looked down at her hand and brought it to her face. Biting into it she could feel the glass already. She spit it out slicing her bottom lip in the process.

"Aaahh!" Hanna started to sob. She immediately thought back to her mom and how when she was little and got a scrape her mom would sit her on her lap, cover it with a bandaid, and make a wish. Hanna asked her mom one day why did they make a wish when she got hurt and her only response was 'because Hanna, there is always a positive to every negative.'

"I wish I was home!" Hanna blurted out.

She knew her positive would be saving Emily but could she really finish this game?

"3 minutes and 10 seconds"

Did she really just waste all that time?

Hanna stared down at he glass filled cupcake and shook her head. Tears fell on top of it making the icing soupy mess.

"2 minutes and 50 seconds."

"Hanna!"Spencer yelled.

"Come on Hanna Come on!" Emily encouraged. She didn't want to die.

Hanna took a bite of the cupcake and began chewing slowly trying to catch any trace of glass in her teeth if she could.

"2 minutes and 30 seconds."hanna increased her speed reverting back to no chewing and just swallowing. She finished the cupcake and Aria couldn't look anymore. There was too much blood.

"1 minute." Hanna looked at the three cupcakes in the box and knew that she had failed.

"I'm sorry Emily." Hanna cried still picking up a cupcake and trying to finish it off.

Done

Two more

"30 seconds."

Hana was now eating both cupcakes at once, still she wasn't fast enough.

"Times up."

"Nooo! You cheated." Hanna yelled spewing blood out of her mouth

"What?" Spencer spoke "that wasn't a fair game."

Emily sat thinking about her parents. Her mom would just check out, her dad, oh God, his heart wouldn't be able to take it.

"Pick your poison." The voice sounded.

Mona wheeled a table over to Hanna that held two cups both filled with clear liquid.

"One is water and the other is hydrochloric acid." Mona instructed with her head down. She couldn't look hanna in the eye. She didn't want to be doing any of this.

"Pick your poison." The voice repeated.

Hanna stared at the cups for what seemed like forever, but they looked identical.

Hanna made a silent wish before choosing.

"I choose."

A or B. A or B. AorBAorBAorB

"I choose this one." Hanna lisped looking at the second cup, her mouth still in pain.

Spencer, Emily, and Aria held their breaths.

Mona picked up the first cup and walked towards Emily. "Open up." Emily shook her head.

"Wait I meant the second one." Hanna said getting frantic.

"Open up.", Mona repeated.

"She said she meant the other one." Spencer yelled standing up.

"No she didn't Spencer." Mona said.

"Take your seat." The voice said calmly.

Mona placed her hand on Emily's cheeks.

"The player chose the second one." The voice added.

Mona began to squeeze Emily's cheeks open

"Mona stop! The second cup! I chose the second!" Hanna pleaded.

Mona used her finger to pry open Emily's Mouth and poured the contents of the cup inside. Emily choked a bit, but that was all.

"See, I told you it was the first cup." Hanna said.

All of the liars broke out into a laughter that was hidden with fear.


	4. Unforseen Consequences

A/N Thank you to the people who have reviewed my story. This is my first PLL fic and I feel welcomed.

"If you go down in the woods today you better go in disguise. If you go down in the woods today you're sure of a big surprise."

Mona sat cross legged on the makeshift Ali bed singing and brushing the hair of her doll, attempting to drown out the ear piercing screams and sobs that could be heard just beyond her open door. Charles wanted her to hear every second of his torture. He wanted her to be grateful of her position at the top of the pyramid. She was after all his favorite.

"Its lovely down in the woods today but safer to stay at home." Mona sung as she noticed a tear drop to the doll's face. The doll reminded her of the times where her only problems were fitting in. Totting glasses, a hideous plaid skirt, crew neck, and complete with pig tails; the doll was perfection. Taking on all of Mona's fears and darkest secrets it was also her confidante.

"Hmmm hm hm hm hm hm hmmmm"

Mona's hums grew louder as the scream she recognized as Spencer grew more frequent.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Answer the question, Emily." The voice blared down

Emily sat in a chair directly in front of Spencer with her head down, her dark hair covering the features of her face so that the only thing you could see was her cheek. Both girls were handcuffed to their seats.

"Emily, please." Spencer managed to spit out. Both girls were running on zero to no sleep. Her hair clung to her face in a sweaty mess and her breathing was labored. Charles had a thing for electricity. With every wrong answer from Emily's mouth, 80 volts shot through Spencer's body.

Emily let out a hearty laugh. "Emily please." She mimicked Spencer. Charles gave her some kind of drug and by the symptoms Emily showed Spencer guessed it was LSD. Her palms were sweaty and her mood changed every two minutes. He knew that Emily's mind wouldn't be able to function while on this and decided to ask her a series of common sense questions.

"True or False. People lie, all liars are people, in conclusion everyone lies." The automated voice repeated to an incoherent Emily.

The drugs ran fast through her bloodstream making her heart palpitate. Her eyes couldn't focus on a single thing. She lifted her head up and stared at Spencer. Were there two of her ? There were purple and black bruises forming on her stomach where the metal prongs sat awaiting a command. Drool slid down from Emily's mouth as she tried to focus.

"All people." Emily's head nodded off. It sounded as if she had 1 thousand echoes.

"Emily! True or false!" Spencer yelled censing another shock coming. She knew Emily wasn't in her right mind at the moment but she couldn't take anymore.

"Liars...people." Emily said swaying and staring behind Spencer's head. Was that Charles?

"No! True or False!" Spencer yelled angrily. She lunged at Emily but the handcuffs held her back. The instinct to survive growing greater than any other feeling inside of her body.

Charles? Emily thought as she saw a figure in the corner of the room. Her vision blurred and the figure disappeared.

Screams brought Emily's attention back to Spencer.

All liars what? People are umm..liars lie..everyone ..people..umm..conclusion. Emily could physically see the words in white bright letters hovering above her head.

What was the question?

"God Em, " Spencer's voice broke as her body recovered the shock. She stared at the ceiling as silent tears rolled down her face.

Emily stared at the corner where she saw the figure. People lie yes. The figure returned and slowly made its way toward Spencer.

Emily started laughing she couldn't control her emotions. Spencer stared at her like she was crazy.

"Spencer."Emily whispered shaking her head so that she could pay attention.

Spencer heard footsteps behind her and her breath got caught in her chest.

Emily stared up at the face that now stood behind a very frightened Spencer, but couldn't see. There were so many colors and letters flying around. She felt nauseous.

"True or False." These words came from a deeper voice, right behind Spencer sounding more like a threat than an actual question.

Spencer felt rough hands touch her neck and looked at Emily in surprise. She looked at nothing above her head, Eyes following no tangible item.

People lie.

All liars are people.

Everyone lies.

Spencer felt the fingers tighten around her neck.

There are the words, Emily thought now if only she could touch them.

People lie.

But does everyone?

Emily tried to sober herself up.

Tighter.

Spencer couldn't speak.

Yes everyone lies.

Tighter.

"Emily!"

"True!"

Spencer and Emily waited in silence.

One beep.

Emily looked up and saw that the figure was gone.


	5. Get Me Out

Hanna paced back and forth in her 'room', she decided to read one of the books that Charles had provided her. It had been a couple of hours since he demanded they all go inside their rooms; well all except for Emily and Spencer, and she needed the book to drown out Spencer's screams and Mona's singing. Absentmindedly she touched her mouth which was throbbing and starting to scab up. Her throat got the worst of it though. She would be hoarse for a long time. The screaming stopped a while ago and Hanna wondered what was happening. Did Emily answer the questions right? Was Spencer okay? Oh my God what if she's... Don't think that way Hanna she told herself.

Mona's singing continued however and Hanna grew agitated. The lows and the highs of the song making her skin crawl.

"Will the circle be unbroken? By and by. By and by." Mona sung as she sat on her bed.

Hanna moved to her open door and was about to tell Mona to 'shut the hell up' when she noticed bare feet coming from around the corner. She gasped and leaned further into the threshold trying not to be seen.

"Will the cir-" Mona stopped singing when she heard footsteps walk pass her door. Who was that? She walked closer to her door and slightly peered out.

Spencer? Hanna wanted to say as she watched a distraught Spencer limp her way towards her room. Her sweaty T-shirt was still raised a little bit so that you can see bruising by her naval. What the hell happened?

"Spence!" Hanna finally got the nerve to whisper-yell. Her voice sounded airy like she had been screaming for two days straight and hadn't cleared her that in weeks. Spencer turned her head slowly as if her neck was in so much pain "are you okay?" Hanna asked. "Where's Emily?" She added. It hurt to speak. Spencer's red brimmed eyes hung low as she gave Hanna a glance and proceeded to her door.

Mona and Hanna exchanged looks. What was going on? Spencer took another look at the girls before entering her room and closing the door.

"By and by, by and by." Mona sung as she moved away from her door and sat back on her bed pouring her fear into her doll by brushing her hair.

Hanna returned to pacing her room and trying to focus on the black and white words of her book, but her mind continued to bounce around. She threw the book onto the bed. "And where the hell is Aria?" She asked aloud finishing her thought.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Emily sat in a chair in a dark room she didn't know where to look. She was just coming down from her high and wanted nothing but sleep. All of a sudden she felt a callused hand over her mouth, Charles. Her eyes grew wide with fear. "No!" She said as she saw what was in his hand: more drugs. She didn't want to be high ever again. "I don't want it." Emily struggled against her restraints. The pill was pushed into her mouth and his hand returned. Covering it so that she had no choice but to swallow.

Flashes of her mom entered her mind and she couldn't hold back her tears any more. She wanted nothing more than to be held by her. Emily shook her head as the drug started to take effect. She tried to force herself to stay alert and be aware, but drowsiness soon kicked in.

Yellow.

Was that yellow?

Something that looked like a kaleidoscope appeared and all thoughts on color soon disappeared.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you." Emily heard a voice say.

Oooh a lion. A pretty lion. Her mind jumped from one thing to another. She felt a cool sensation on her face and she dwelled in it. Her skin felt as though she was burning; feverish.

"Annnd" there seemed to be too many 'ands' they all appeared inside bubbles and sounded when Emily popped them.

These bubbles are wet.

"Let me guess." A voice echoed.

Yellow. I see yellow Emily thought.

"You must be, Aria no no..Emily...you're definetly Emily." It was a female voice.

A kaleidoscope of color covered her face. Blonde hair

"Ali?"

Emily heard a sigh.

Mona?

There was a crashing noise and the galaxy of color broke away.

"I have to go." The voice said.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Help!" Aria yelled hitting the wooden box in which she lay in. She was claustrophobic ever since the A train incident and the incident with 'The great Charlemagne.' Her body was pulsing and she couldn't stop moving.

"Somebody please help me!" She screamed.

"You have 5 minutes." The voice sounded.

Hanna woke up in a room she did not remember falling asleep in. Did she fall asleep? She had no idea. She lifted her head slowly and realized that she was strapped down to a hospital bed. Or should she say a Radley bed. "Where the hell am?" She whispered and looked at the camera.

"4 minutes and 50 seconds." She heard the voice say. Wait a test is in progress? She tried sitting up more, but a gloved hand pushed her head back down onto the bed. She winced in pain. There was something cloth like placed in her mouth to keep it open. The pressure of it threatened to open up the healing scars on her lip. Water was then poured into Hanna's open mouth and she struggled not to choke.

Aria heard sputtering outside of the wooden box and remembered she was playing for someone's life

Who's was it she didn't know. She quickly tried to kick her way out of the box but all that did was cause her ankle to ache.

"4 minutes and 20 seconds."

Aria tried to use her elbow to hit the box, but that was no use either.

Hanna sucked in a huge gasp of air as the cloth was taken out of her mouth for a brief moment and placed back underneath her top tow row of teeth pulling it open. The water returned and she began drowning.

"4 minutes."

Hanna heard movement on the other side of the room and so did -A forcing him to stop. Hanna took this time to recover and spit out any excess water remaining in her mouth. She coughed and cleared her throat.

A masked Charles followed the sound outside of the room and turned left.

Hanna peered down at her restraints. Just a simple loop, she could squeeze out of that. She began pushing her fingers together and pulling on the restraints. Her lip was throbbing more than before she suspected that it began bleeding again.

"Just a little more." She said to herself.

"3 minutes and 40 seconds"

She heard Aria banging on the box as she freed one hand and spotted the keys across the room on a table. She hurried for the next hand. He could come back at any moment.

"Got it!" She said aloud

A struggle could be heard out in the hallway as Hanna threw herself off of the bed and onto the floor. She scrambled for the keys and unlocked the box.

"Hanna?"Aria asked in surprise, very well prepared to punch whoever it was opening the box.

"Let's get the hell out of here."

A/N Thank you for the reviews it really helped with this chapter. Please continue to R&R


	6. Anything but The End

A/N Thank you for the reviews! Especially to the people under Guest who I cannot personally reply to.

"Do you know the assailant?" A police officer asked a distressed and impatient Aria. She couldn't hang onto his words because she was too busy looking at her friends being put into separate ambulances.

"What?" Aria looked up at him with tear filled eyes.

"Do you know the assai-" Aria zoned out

1 HOUR EARLIER

"Aria! Come on! We have to get the hell up out of here." Hanna urged Aria who ran a little slower behind her. Her ankle was a mess after trying to escape from the box that A had put her in.

"Would you hurry? I thought I was the one who got tortured " Hanna turned and yelled at Aria. Her voice still hoarse from her bruised throat and healing lips.

"Yeah well tell that to my friggin' mangled ankle Hanna." Aria limped slightly behind.

Hanna reached Mona's door and burst into her room. "Mona! Let's go!" She said and ran back out towards Spencer's room. Mona quickly stood up and threw her doll on the bed. Gotta take a chance right? She gave the camera a glance before running after Hanna and Aria.

"Spence?" Aria said as she entered Spencers room. "Spencer, come on." Hanna said as she spotted the dark haired girl lost in her own skewed thoughts of reality sitting on the floor by the foot of her bed. Her legs remained crossed as she stared at the broken window ahead of her. Cement walls stood where her freedom would be, or should have been if it were her actual room. Flickers of hopelessness replaced the self preservation that once glowed strong and healthy behind her brown eyes. Now, nothing.

Now.

Cement walls.

"Spencer!" Aria yelled.

Mona swayed from foot to foot. She couldn't stand still for one second . The thought of being put into the hole too much for her fragile mind to bear. She thought about going back into her room and following the rules. Rules got you food. Rules kept you alive. They had no idea what it was like to be forced into talking to yourself because you just wanted to hear a human voice. Was she human while stuck down there in that hole? Her heart beat yes, but did she have a soul?

"Spencer please!"Hanna said kneeling down to her seemingly catatonic friend.

They were wasting time. It was only a matter of time before the alarms sounded and they were all stuck in the hallway for days to die. Mona couldn't take it anymore. If they were gonna do this they had to do it now.

"Really Spencer? You get this far just to give up now? After years of torment? After Ian, after Wilden, Ali? Hell after me? You're gonna let that he...she"

"It" Aria mumbled.

"Bitch" Hanna added

"Exactly" Mona continued. "So you're gonna let that he/she it bitch win? Keep you from your family? Keep you from your little bed buddy Toby?"

Spencer looked into Mona's eyes. This couldn't be the same person that fell off of that cliff that night. Tears streamed from her eyes as she did her best not to hiccup.

She looked at Hanna and Aria who stood before her, their bodies radiating with protection and will power. She felt it warm her skin.

Slowly she stood up keeping eye contact with each one of the girls.

"There is 90 feet, two turns first one is left next one right until we get to the room where Emily is. It takes exactly 16 seconds for the camera in that hallway to do a full sweep of it so you would have to move very quickly. Aria you're gonna have to keep up with your bad ankle. Let's go."

"Annnnd she's back." Aria mumbled as they all turned to exit the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Get it off! Get it off!" The girls heard Emily yell in the room just up ahead.

"Somebody get it off!"

Hanna ran up to her and began swatting in the direction of where Emily's eyes were looking. She saw nothing.

"Emily what's wrong?" Aria asked as she noticed Emily's dilated pupils.

"Arlene? Arlene what are you doing here?" Emily questioned.

"Not this again." Said Aria as she went behind her to untie her arms.

Emily peered at Mona's shirt.

"Oh Mona did you see the colors too? And the lion? The lion was very pretty."

"She's so out of it. Drugs?" Mona looked to Spencer who had been staring at Emily. Spencer folded her arms and nodded her head.

"Okay, nice little reunion. Now can we please get out of here?" The paranoid blonde asked her friends.

Emily let out a loud cackle.

"Ssshh!" Their voices harmonized as they gave daggers to a very high Emily.

Mona turned and started for the door. Charles was probably on their tails ready to punish them. The others followed with Hanna and Aria helping Emily walk straight.

Spencer reached for the door and was surprised at what she found behind it. A masked Charles stood before them with a gun and a gallon of gasoline.

Hiked breaths and beating hearts were all that filled the room. Mona had to pee all of a sudden. The girls were frozen in place. The initial fear of him scolded their bones not to moves.

Charles took one step forward and began pouring the gasoline on the floor.

"I'm sorry. We- we're sorry" Mona said. "We'll be good."

"For God's sake Mona shut up." Hanna grew annoyed, their plan had been ruined.

Charles raised the gun toward them and they ran deeper into the room, shielding themselves with whatever they thought could stop a bullet.

He began pouring more gasoline onto everything. Was this his final game?

"We have to jump him." Spencer instructed from behind a metal table. Emily seemed worried yet not completely aware of what was going on.

Mona held out her fingers for a signal on when to move.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

All of the girls ran from their hiding spots and tried to rush him, but he was too quick and fired a shot their way.

An ear piercing scream filled the room. The girls turned around to see Mona on the ground clenching her stomach.

"Mona!" Hanna yelled. She didn't care about her throat anymore.

Charles reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter.

'No, no NO!" Spencer yelled almost tempted to reach for the lighter.

"Mona, are you okay?" Aria kneeled before her and pulled her hands away from her wound.

Emily peered down.

Yellow.

Red.

Red blood oozed from underneath her yellow shirt causing a weird mix of brown and orange.

"Put pressure on it." Hanna informed Aria.

"Don't do this." Spencer begged him. He held the lighter out to the side and tossed it up in the air. Spencer dove to catch it but was a few inches off.

Flames spread everywhere

"Am I dying?" Mona asked Hanna.

"No? No ones dying." She answered.

"I'd be free." Mona stared at the ceiling.

"Hey! You don't get to be free yet. Who's going to tell me if my outfit is okay?"

Charles backed towards the door with his gun still trained on Spencer and locked the door. The flames grew even bigger.

"What the hell?" Emily asked looking around and sobering up.

A symphony of coughs played their final song as the air grew thick. Too heavy to breathe.

"You we're a good friend Hanna." Mona gave a smile.

"We're all gonna die! We're going to burn down here and we still won't know who he is! Emily panicked.

Aria felt light headed and began to feel sleepy. Her eyes hung low and she could see the others doing the same.

Spencer ripped her shirt and placed it over her mouth and Began to breathe heavily through it.

Hanna did her best to keep pressure on Mona's wound, but found herself getting weaker and weaker.

Suddenly a fire alarm went off.

The ceiling spewed water over the flames that did no good.

The door to the room creaked open and a head of blonde hair emerged.

Ali?

An unfamiliar face smeared with dirt and blood appeared behind the flames.

"Girls! This way hurry." The girl said.

Spencer's vision was blurry but she heard what was said. She stood up and instructed the girls to do the same.

Aria , Emily , and Hanna lifted Mona up and tailed Spencer who created a path in between the flames.

"I know a way out." The girl was holding a shovel.

Hmm funny.

"Where's Charles?" Emily asked.

The girl looked confused. "You mean the masked guy? Is that his name? You know him?" The girl looked uneasy.

"Long story." Spencer answered starting down the hallway.

"Well, I hit him...with this." She held up the shovel proudly. "I really did. I hit him. " her smile was wide yet sheepish and proud as they ran down the hallway. She walked in long quick strides as she nervously glanced at the girls. Would they like her? "I expected you to be taller " she looked at Aria. "You're really short. I've only seen you guys in pictures though. Not good quality either. I mean really small picture's. I've had to squint at some. I learned your names too. I imagined how your voices sound and to be frank I really-

"Who are you?" Hanna interrupted holding Mona's upper arms.

"Oh, I'm Sara. Sara Harvey." She smiled wide. Carefully saying each letter of her name.

She was Sara Harvey.

Sara.

No one else.

Sara.

"Shes the girl that went missing around the same time Alison did."Emily whispered.

"There's a latter just up here. I've tried to get out a lot, but ..." Her voice trailed off.

She glanced back.

"Did you hear something?" She asked.

"Let's just go." Spencer said climbing the latter.

"I feel like I know you guys already. Like we're friends. I didn't have any friends, not down here at least. I would hear Mona though. I listened to her all the time. She has a beautiful voice. I love her songs, don't you? She's not singing now , but she will. She'll sing again. " All those years of captivity seemed to come out in words. She couldn't stop herself.

One by one the girls climbed the latter. Mona had passed out a while back and they pulled her up the latter second to last leaving Sara to be the final one.

"Come on Sara" Aria instructed.

Sara bit her nails and began rocking back and forth. What if this was a game?

"Sara! Come on or we leave without you!" Spencer yelled.

Sara quickly grabbed the latter and began climbing up.

There was nothing but grass and trees when they turned around.

"I'm always walking after midnight."

The girls heard the music start to play and began running in what direction. They didn't know.

They ran.

They ran until their feet hurt and their arms were numb from carrying a bleeding Mona.

They ran until their feet hit the pavement.

Lights could be seen coming up and they began flagging the car down.

A man stopped his car and exited the vehicle.

"Please call the police. We were kidnapped."


	7. Tender Loving Care

"Surgery is the only answer for this kind of gun shot wound."

"She has some electrical bruising to the abdomen."

"I'm sorry ma'am unfortunately she requires surgery."

"The drugs did a number on her body."

"Looks like a broken ankle."

One by one the parents arrived at the hospital. Each having different explanations of their daughter's health. Sara's parents had not yet come, but told doctors that they would be there as soon as possible and was currently out of state.

Dr. Neely took one look at the waiting room and still couldn't believe the situation. The exhausted faces of the girls' parents created a deep feeling of apprehension. He felt silly for that. He didn't know anything about these girls, but it seemed as if their worst days were behind them. Moving to Rosewood from the city he thought that he would have less trauma to deal with, but as he watched one of his patients parents, Emily Fields' parents, holding hands and weeping with relief he knew that he had his work cut out for him.

He had to make his rounds two of the girls, Hanna Marin and Mona Vanderwaal were currently in surgery.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The steady pulsating of Mona's heart monitor beeped in time with Hanna's. The anesthesia knocked them out cold. Fluttering eyes alike, they were almost a mirror to one another, inhaling just enough to keep from slipping away, but not yet enough to see their determination and smarts play out.

They were free

Almost.

"Mona?" Hanna asked wondering how she woke up in Mona's room.

She spotted Mona going through her bookshelf with her head cocked slightly to the side.

"You dyed your hair back." Hanna noted.

Mona picked up a book entitled 'Lolita' and sat at her desk.

"I couldn't stand that blonde, didn't suit my skin tone at all." She did a dramatic hair flip. "Have you ever read this book?"

"Not really. Although I do remember Alison being obsessed with it. " Hanna stood and walked over to her.

"I don't blame her, good read." Mona sat the book down and headed for her room door. "Cookies?"

"No, I can't eat anything my throat still..." Hanna touched her lips which were healed and showed no sign of bruising. "Kills." She finished her thought.

They descended the stairs together and Hanna looked around disgusted. There on the walls, handrail, and floor just as she remembered it, was Mona's blood.

"My mom bakes the best cookies. She does it from scratch too."Mona held onto the handrail smearing blood all over her hands. "You can have as many as you want Hanna." She turned back with a smile.

"Mona! I don't want any friggin' cookies don't you see all of this blood? " Hanna yelled.

Mona looked around and shrugged her shoulders. "So we have oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, and my favorite chocolate chunk."

Hanna grabbed a chocolate chunk and sat at the kitchen table.

The doorway to the kitchen opened and someone wearing a black hoodie and blonde hair walked right in the middle of them. Ignoring them like they weren't there.

"Who the hell was that?" Hanna yelled at Mona.

"Do you hear that?" Mona looked toward her right her face full of wonder.

"Hear what?" Hanna asked looking around.

"Alison always said to leave a pretty corpse." Mona said as a continuous beep sounded throughout the house.

Hanna stood. "What is that?" She looked over her shoulder searching for a source. "Do you know where it's coming from Mona?" Hanna yelled over the sound. She turned back around and Mona was gone, yet the beeping remained. "Mona!" Hanna yelled. Where did she go? She walked into the living room and saw her laying on the floor. "Mona! What happened?" She ran over to her.

A Cold stare and even colder skin gazed up at her. She screamed.

Hanna woke up with a start. Coming to her senses she still heard the beeping only this time it was coming from down the hallway. She saw nurses and doctors running in one direction. What is going on?

"Hanna! Hanna sweetie are you okay?" Hanna recognized the voice immediately.

"Mom?" She croaked out it hurt even worse to speak this time.

"Ah, ah, ah Dr. Neely said no speaking for at least a week." Ashley told her as she walked up to her and gathered her into a hug.

"I'm so glad that you're alright." Tears streamed down the mother's face, but Hanna was still focused on the beating of someone's heart monitor.

She tapped her mother's shoulder and pointed to the door, the urge to speak all to great.

Ashley looked In the direction of her finger. Faking a smile and creating an aversion was her way of protecting her child."oh sweetie that's nothing, here let's page a nurse so they will know you're awake okay?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The tall brunette stood idly in the middle of the hospital room. She would call it hers, but that would imply an extended stay. With every sharp turn of her maniacal pacing a new question was posed. What if Mona's dead? What happened to Charles? Did he escape that fire. Of course he escaped; he's friggin A!

"You shouldn't be up," Veronica Hastings said with an unfamiliar soft tone.

Spencer hadn't heard her mom come in. She knew how this would go: her mother would attempt to console her, then she would be abnormally nice, Spencer would reject everything her mom does which would ultimately lead to a fight. She didn't want the sad eyes, quick stares, and hushed tones that Rosewood had to offer.

"Spence," Veronica began.

It's starting spencer thought.

" I can't say that I understand what you and your friends have -"

"Mom you don't have to do this," Spencer said playing into her role.

"Do what," Veronica pushed her hair towards the back of her head.

"Do...this" Spencer performed a grand hand trick that involved pointing her finger back and forth between her and her mother.

Veronica stood angry and pulled her brown Trench coat tighter, "and by this you mean be your mother?"

Here comes the big finale will someone please close the curtains and throw roses at her feet? The younger Hastings was not in the mood to fight with her mom.

"Where's dad," Spencer changed the subject.

Veronica visibly relaxed," he's in the waiting room I asked if I could speak with you first. You know girl to girl" she added.

Oh great she was working towards a standing ovation this time. Spencer limped her way towards the chair in the corner of the room. She sucked in her breath as she sat down, her abdomen still feeling the brunt of her experience.

Veronica quickly rushed to her side. "Let me see Spencer I'll let the nurse know if you need more medication."

Something sparked in Spencer's brain. Medication? Yes, That's exactly what she needed. Slowly she undid her robe and lifted her hospital gown. She wore shorts underneath, so there was no problem.

Veronica gasped at what she saw. Her baby girl with purple, yellow, and green bruising to her abdomen. It looked very painful. "Oh Spence." Veronica felt breathless. "I'm going to put whoever did this away for a really long time okay?" Her emotions got the best of her. Spencer laid her head on her mother's shoulder. "Okay mom." She whispered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Dad! I don't know!" Emily yelled for what seemed like the hundredth time. His military mind set got the best of him and instead of consoling his daughter he grilled her for answers.

"How about the way he walked, did you recognize that?" It seemed as though steam were coming out of his ears as he paced back and forth the hospital room. Emily shook her head slowly.

"The way he smelled? His mannerisms? Hell his shoe size?" He yelled getting closer to Emily.

"I don't know dad! Okay? I don't know." Emily burst out in tears.

"That's enough alright? She just got back honey." Pam reasoned with her husband. "We'll let the police handle it." She added placing a hand on Emily's shoulder.

"Don't touch me." Emily flinched away. It came out as reflex. Wayne and Pam turned towards their daughter. "I'm

..I'm sorry its just-" Emily began apologizing. Pam's eyes softened. "It's okay honey."

"You see? My daughter is afraid of her own mother touching her, have they handled anything before?" Wayne yelled "I want this bastard put away."

Emily shifted in her hospital bed and tried to get some sleep she was going to leave that between her parents. Turning onto her side seemed to do her some good. She felt herself nodding off.

"I'm always walkin' after midnight."

"Emily please!"

"Pretty lion."

"True or false."

"No, no, NO!"

"2 minutes."

"God, Em."

Memories echoed in her mind when the only thing she wanted to do was not think. She sat back up sleep was not in her near future.

"So no memory on how he smelled?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Aria, are you truly alright?" Ella stood at the foot of her daughter's bed and asked.

"Because it's okay if you weren't." Byron added who took post by the door.

Aria nodded her head and smiled. "Yes guys I'm fine, just trying to watch some TV." She flicked through the channels.

"How's the ankle?" Byron asked stepping closer.

"Still broken." Aria kept her eyes trained on the TV. She stopped flipping through channels when she saw her and her friends faces appear.

" Six missing teen girls were rescued tonight by a man we call a hero." The news reporter spoke directly into the camera.

"Rescued?" Aria looked to her parents.

"Yes, I heard screaming and so I pulled over and went into the woods and found the girls there fighting with some man. I immediately began fighting with him and told the girls to run. One girl was bleeding so bad she passed out and I had to carry her the 2 miles to my car." Aria recognized the man who stopped his car and called the police. He was no hero, a good civilian at best.

She began to laugh. "People would do anything for their 15 minutes of fame."

Ella nodded and stared at her daughter. She could see the presence of her fear covering her like a cloak and eating away at her confidence and certainty.

"I see you decided to go shorter." Ella changed the subject.

The green eyed teen sat frozen blankly staring at her mother. What is she talking about? Is this bangup job of a haircut that noticeable? Even if it is why would she comment on it?

"What," Aria asked with the faintest whiff of anger.

"It's just your hair is shorter than it was when I left. You really look nice honey," Ella stroked her daughter's choppy hair.

"I didn't," the youngest Montgomery girl whispered as she turned on her side.

Ella was afraid to ask her daughter what she meant, but as long as Aria was speaking Ella wanted to get all the information. Knowing Aria she would most likely keep everything to herself until she has an all out panic attack.

"You didn't what," she asked her now silent daughter.

Aria hesitated,"Decide...I didn't decide."

"Four of the girls are said to be okay, but two of them are in surgery, one in critical condition." The reporter added.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hanna calm down!" Ms. Marin told an irate Hanna who had pulled her IV out of her arm and headed for the door. She stood in the middle of her hospital room breathing heavily and looked around the room. When she found what she was looking for she rushed over to the table.

The pen and paper shook in her hand as she began to write.

'Where's Mona?'

Ashley looked toward the door and back at Hanna. 'She's still in surgery honey."

'Is she okay?'

Ashley folded her arms. "She's not doing too well. They were touch and go for a while."

Hanna bit her bottom lip and looked towards the door.

"Now, can you please get in the bed? The doctor said minimal moving for a couple of days due to your organs. They were able to get all of the glass out, but."

Hanna darted for the door and down the hallway. She stopped when she found Mona's room, which was just one door down from her.

She looked so pale. Hanna peered through the glass of the operating. room. The sound of the heart monitor plagued Hanna. It felt as though a thousand people were whispering and screaming into her ear all of the things she did wrong. Wasn't it her fault for Mona being there?

"Just look at her she's such a nerd."

"The Pigtails make me so uncomfortable."

"Guys can I sit here?"

"If you ignore it, it will go away."

All of the taunting ran through Hanna's head as she watched the doctors try and perform miracles.

"She's not me you know." Mona said to Hanna. Hanna peered over her shoulder and saw the old Mona clad in her infamous pigtails and nurse shoes.

"What?" Hanna asked.

"She's not me, she used to be. She's smarter and stronger in many ways now. I still hang around deeeeep deep down. Waiting for when someone hurts her so I can show my face. She's scared Hanna, really scared." Nerd Mona spoke.

"How do I fix it? How do I make it right?" Hanna asked with tears threatening to spill over.

"Give her what she always wanted. What she dreamed about. She's just a normal teenage girl Hanna. She wants friends, real friends not minions. People she could cry to, laugh with, have petty fights with. That kind of thing. She wants to feel normal again. " Mona said as she turned to leave.

"Thank you." Hanna said.

"No problem. Oh and by the way congratulations on keeping the weight off." Mona smiled and then she was gone.

"Hanna do you hear me? That was a pretty dangerous stunt you pulled." Ashley stood in front of her daughter who stared through the window at Mona. The heart monitor picked up to a normal speed and the surgeons began clapping. Mona was going to be alright.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sara sat up in her hospital bed biting her fingernails in the dark. The lights were way too bright she hadn't gotten used to them yet. Sitting cross legged she bounced her foot, her nerves got the best of her. Something was wrong she could feel it. Something felt off. She glanced to her left and right growing paranoid, no one was there. Where were her parents. How far away were they? Where were her friends? Did they still look the same? Her mind was overrun by so many questions it rendered her tongue paralyzed. Where was her chalk? She needed to mark how many days she had been there? How long was she there?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Charles sat in the hospital waiting room deciding if he should admit himself for the head wound given to him by Sara. He was gonna get her back for what she did, all of them. They had to know by now that they couldn't escape. He was everywhere and no where at all because he could blend in. Adapt to any situation. People trusted him, or at least he made them feel that they did. They knew him, well some of them did. It was Just a matter of time.


	8. Lovely Movie hun

"Is this what you meant by 'quiet relaxation time'?" Spencer spoke loudly over the blaring music coming from deep inside the house. She could feel the bass in her teeth.

"If our parents knew that we were going out to a party they would have never let us go." Hanna replied doing a little jig and slightly yelling as she stepped further into the foyer.

"I'm sick of being cooped up in the house all day. " Emily announced as she began casually scanning the people at the party. She was ready to mingle. Her parents had taken her out of school and insisted that she be home schooled. She definitely needed a break from the ' honey are you okays' and the 'how'd you sleep'

"Same, were not friggin' chickens." Aria added feeling a rush of relief when the smell of a real teenage life became known. Really it was just beer and sweat.

And sex.

"Hey, Isn't Mona supposed to be here?" Spencer asked the girls. They had become unseemly close over the last few weeks. With them being on lockdown since being released from the hospital they had no one but each other to turn to. Being that Spencer and Mona were both hard core nerds they took that time to understand one another's personality by reciting quotes from book titles only they would understand.

"I'm always on time." Mona said with a smile as she walked through the threshold of the front door. She flipped her raven black locks as she gave the girls a hug one by one.

"So, where's sheepish Sara?" Mona looked around trying to see if she was hiding behind a door or underneath the rug.

"She's at dinner at her friends, and stop calling her that!" Emily yelled.

The girls laughed knowing that Mona only did that to get a rise out of Emily. She would never call her that to her face though, she understood the situation in which Sara was put and would never make fun of that.

"Ah, its all in fun Em."Mona said as she softly swatted the taller girls shoulder. She would never tell them that at night when she was alone in her bed she whispered to herself 'Sheepish Mona.'

Theres no one in your closet Sheepish Mona.

No one in the dark sheepish Mona

No love in your heart sheepish Mona.

Sheepish Mona. sheepish Mona. Sheepish Mona.

Whispers turned into chants of assurance. Commitment of life and sanity.

An Undertaking of freedom.

"Time to turn up!" Hanna yelled as she picked up a few beers and handed them to her friends.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Charles watched them from a corner in the next room. Sipping a beer like it was nothing, he decided to let his dolls off of autopilot. They deserved rest. He glanced at his phone when he heard a beep. 'She's exactly where she said she would be' he thought as he watched Sara's tracker reach her destination. There was no place they could go where he couldn't reach them. He made sure of that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Look All I'm saying is that he could've had a better verse than that" Hanna sloppily added her opinion on the latest rap beef she witnessed on Twitter.

"Hanna, do not make me delete your account again.' Spencer warned.

"No, no I agree with Hanna and I've seen the memes they're hilarious." Mona vouched for the blonde slightly spilling her drink as she laughed.

"You guys seriously have had too much time on your hands." Aria inputted.

'Haven't we all'

Thought by all.

Said by none.

"I feel like I'm gonna puke." Emily told the guy whom she was dancing with. He didn't respond just pulled her closer, his content smile slightly spilling to one side of his face. Emily giggled, the alcohol messing with her senses. "Okay one more dance." She said as she sipped her drink. Something about him seemed vaguely familiar, friendly and familiar

"Someone go take that cup away from Emily." Aria half whispered to the girls.

They glanced up to see Emily grinding on a guy, but couldn't see his face because of how he was turned.

"Girl gets a little tipsy and turns straight." Hanna commented and walked over to Emily and her new friend, but as she got closer the guy walked away.

"New boyfriend Em?" Hanna asked looking in the direction of where the mystery guy walked off.

"He wishe-" Emily started to gag on her words.

"Ew, come on let's go." Hanna grabbed an intoxicated Emily's arm and brought her to their group.

"Okay she's gonna explode we need to get to a bathroom." Hanna explained.

All of a sudden there were screams and gasps everywhere. The girls jumped at the sudden sound. What was happening?

Spencer, Aria, Mona, Hanna, and Emily followed the commotion into a living room. There on a giant plasma television was video footage of them inside of the dollhouse.

Mona flinched as though someone had smacked her across the face. They stared at the video, too stunned to look away.

"Please" Hanna whispered with blood staining her face. "I just want to go home." The blue oceans of her eyes sent waves of terror and hope through the camera lens as she pleaded for normality; A form of stability for her life.

"I'm sorry! I'll be a good Alison. The best one you could ever find." Yelled Mona covered in dirt from the hole in which she then called her home. Her voice reeked of remorse. Seeking repentance for the disappointment she continuously brought to Charles' special game. Or was this his reality?

"Let me out of here!" Aria watched herself on the screen and immediately the room felt too small. Her breathing began to become labored as she recalled not being able to move or think.

"Choose one." A computerized voice blared over a sobbing Emily as she was forced to pick who got water that day. Who knew how long it was since they had water. Who does she choose? How does she choose? Pick a life out of how many notes they passed during class? Out of like? Adoration? Love?

Ear piercing screams came up next from the mouth of Spencer Hastings as electric currents jolted through her body. Her veins retracted as she quickly sucked in air through clenched teeth trying to get her heart to stop its racing.

Spencer bit the inside of her cheek as she remembered how hard she tried not to bite her own tongue as the currents boiled her blood like soup.

Curious eyes found the pinks in their cheeks and anxious ears heard the hikes in their breaths ; the room fell silent save for the video which now showed them all seemingly dead and on slab tables like corpses.

"I can't do this" Emily announced panic in her voice as she turned to find her way out of the crowded room, but there was no room to move. Is there ever any room? Any space? A sense of privacy? "I need to le-" puke was on the ground before she knew what was happening.

"Oh God let's get out of here." Aria announced to the group as she avoided making eye contact with anyone. Sweaty bodies forced her to squeeze through them like mud in a child's curious hand. She began to panic. She had to get out.

Mona pulled out a napkin from her purse and dabbed at the corner of her eyes as she made her way through the crowd. Her mind was in reversion reeling her back into captivity as the video blared loudly behind her.

"Hanna, come on we're leaving." Spencer touched Hanna's elbow, but Hanna was dazed. Eyes transfixed on the screen ahead of her she didn't move an inch. Like the camera of a paparazzi, memories flashed repeatedly rendering her mind frozen. She couldn't move. Was this happening? Was she back there? Who's watching?

Everyone.

Everyone saw, yes.

But who's watching?

"Hanna!" The blonde turned her head at the sound of her friends voice. "come on let's go!" Spencer led Hanna toward the exit along with the others.

"What's the rush?"

The girls looked up to find Alison coming through the threshold.

"Your brother decided to show one of his movies." Mona answered voice thick with bitch.

"Guys I can't hold Emily up much longer." Aria complained as Emily put her entire weight on the petite brunette.

"We'll discuss this later." Spencer announced and rushed by the confused blonde.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Meet in my barn in 15. And get her some aspirin please." Spencer took a look at Emily who leaned against Hanna's back seat window.

"Be careful Mona. Remember straight to Spencer's barn no hacky business okay?" Aria said as she got into the passenger seat of Spencer's car.

"Got it. Where will you two be?" Mona said getting into her car and rolling down the window.

"We have a few stops to make." Spencer answered and drove off. The three cars went their separate way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

'Emily stared up at the face that now stood behind a very frightened Spencer, but couldn't see. There were so many colors and letters flying around. She felt nauseous.

"True or False." These words came from a deeper voice, right behind Spencer sounding more like a threat than an actual question'

Emily woke with a start in the back seat of Hanna's car.

"And she lives!" Hanna smiled staring at the road ahead.

"Where are we headed?"

"Spencer's cabin. You kind of checked out after the whole vide- what the hell?" Hanna's concentration was cut off by someone on the road.

"Who is that?" Emily sat up and squinted her eyes to see the dark figure ahead.

"Looks like some guy needs help with his car." Hanna mumbled slightly glancing back at Emily as she slowly pulled closer towards the man standing in the middle of the road.

"He needs to get out of the way. We're not helping him. I've seen the scary movies" she added as she got close enough but couldn't move around him on the one way road.

"God Em"

"Choose your goose"

"Let me out of here!"

"2 minutes"

"Okay one more dance."

Memories flooded back into Emily's mind as it dawned on her.

"Back up." Emily's eyes widened as she whispered to the blonde driver.

"Hey Isn't that your new beau Em?" Hanna said as she honked for him to come to the car.

He began to approach the car with as much confidence one human being could muster in their fragile bodies.

"Back up!" Emily repeated as she watched him approach the car he heart pounding in her ears.

"What? Why?" Hanna asked turning towards her friend.

Charles made his way To the hood of the car.

"Now Hanna! Back up NOW! back up ! Reverse! Hanna hurry! Back up!" Emily screamed as Charles reached For the door.

Hanna immediately pressed her foot hard on the accelerator causing both girls to jerk backwards.

Charles sprinted for the car.

"Oh shit!" Hanna screamed. Tears immediately rose in her eyes with the possibility of being taken again.

"Oh my god!" Emily watched him from the back seat as he got into his car and followed suit.

"This is a one way he's going to ram us!" Hanna yelled.

"What do we do?" Emily panicked.

Hanna watched the car approaching them from her rear view mirror and put her own car in reverse.

"We're gonna play a game."

At full speed she began to reverse her car.

"What are you doing?" Emily screamed

"He's gonna forfeit." Hanna answered.

"Hanna! Stop!"

The two cars came within inches of each other and Charles swerved off to the side.

"Told you. He's all talk." Hanna turned towards Emily.

"Hanna! Watch out!" Emily looked ahead. Another car came at them full speed.

"Oh my God!" Hanna tried to put the car in drive but it was too late.

The car T boned them and their car flipped.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Emily woke up in the back seat of an unknown car. Her neck was stiff. Hanna was next to her unconscious. She glanced to the front and saw Charles driving but someone was in the passenger seat.

Blonde.

"Ali?"

Ali turned around but something was off, a bit different.

"Don't you ever call me that bitches name again...it's Courtney, nice to meet you."


	9. My Darkness is a Gift

Mona paced back and forth in front of Spencer's cabin as she unintentionally strangled her phone between her hands. She was the first to drive off from the party that turned into a private viewing of their time spent as captives, but Hanna and Emily should have been right behind her. It had been 15 minutes already. She decided to shoot a text to the group chat.

 _ **Mona: Where the hell are you guys?**_

… _ **.**_

 _ **Aria: still with Spence stopped by the store to grab some things.**_

 _ **Spencer: we should be there in 10 minutes.**_

 _ **M: why isn't Hanna and Emily responding? I called them a thousand times.**_

 _ **S: what? They should've been there. They were right behind you.**_

 _ **AR: maybe they made a last minute stop?**_

 _ **M: doesn't explain the unanswered phone, Aria**_

 _ **S: Mona grab the key to the cabin underneath a rock towards the rosebush and let yourself in. We'll be right there.**_

 _ **M: kk**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Screeching tires was all Emily remembered hearing. There were no audible sounds of anxiety save for the deafening thump of her heart inside of her throat. There was no aftermath, no warning, nor help.

Just Black.

"All of these twists, turns, and bumps; almost feel like a roller coaster." A voice resonated to Emily's ears along with a giggle.

"And you know how much I love roller coasters."

Emily tried her hardest to open her eyes, but she had not yet regained complete consciousness from the car crash. She could hear though, and the next voice she heard sent chills down her spine.

Charles.

"There are only two here. I need all of them! I need all of my dolls. You said that I would have all of them back tonight!"

There was a crash of some kind, Emily couldn't tell what it was.

"Ah ah ah calm down now, what did I tell you about controlling your temper?" It sounded alot like Alisons' voice. Then she remembered. ' Don't you ever call me that Bitches name again...I'm Courtney nice to meet you.' memories ricocheted off of the walls of her mind like stray bullets. She recalled the blonde that she saw in the passenger seat, the arm that reached back and knocked her back out, and the darkness. Her eyes suddenly opened. Red, sticky, and throbbing but they were open.

"Hey, look one of your dolls is ready to play." Courtney glanced down at a bound and confused Emily then back to Charles.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Mona sat on the sofa inside of Spencers' old cabin waiting to hear back from any of the girls. Emily and hanna should have been back by now and deep down in her heart she knew something had happened to them. There was a noise in the far right of the room right behind her making her jump up to a stand. Absentmindedly her index finger began to tap her thumb out of nerves.

"Hello?"

She walked toward the back of the cabin using her phone as a light. Two dim old lamps was of no assistance at the time.

"Spencer? Aria?"

'No one in the dark sheepish Mona' she mouthed silently to herself beginning her nightly routine. She would never admit to anyone that she was afraid of the dark now. Afraid of anything. "Guys?" she tried once more. A notification on her phone made her flinch and drop her phone. She bent to pick it up and read the text.

 **Spencer: 'On our way back'**

Mona turned to -"What are you doing here." Peter hastings grabbed her wrist.

"I was just, Spencer asked me t-"

"Stay away from my daughter" he grabbed her wrists tighter " every time you come around there's trouble. People get hurt."

"Mr. Hastings you have it all wrong. I was ju-

"You expect me to believe that after faking your death and having the town grieve for you that you were magically kidnapped? You may have everyone fooled, except for me.

"Let go of me!" Mona yelled

"Not until I know for sure that you'll be out of my families life forever."

"I said let go of me!" Mona said as she tried to pry her arm away from the irate hastings grasp. He looked so much like Spencer in that moment.

"Shut up! I want you off of my property now!" he got into her face making sure he made himself clear.

"Dad, what the hell are you doing. Let go of her." Spencer entered the cabin with Aria shortly behind her. Peter immediately dropped his hold on Mona's wrist. "Spencer, I thought you were out."

"Yeah well I cut it short, what is going on here?" Spencer asked.

"Mona, you okay?" Aria's eyes were big with concern.

Mona massaged her wrist "yeah, I'm fine. I think I should go."

"No, Mona stay he's leaving...Right now" Spencer darted her eyes at her father.

Peter glanced between his daughter and Mona then proceeded out of the cabin shaking his head.

"Now what was so important that you had to ditch the bee line?" Mona asked reclaiming her seat on the sofa.

Aria smiled and pulled out two black cases and took a seat next to mona.

"We had to go pick up these."

Aria opened one of the case and revealed two .40 smith and wesson handguns.

"You bought guns?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Where's hanna? You can't do this! Please!"

"Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift." Courtney said as she injected Emily with a syringe.


End file.
